Sixteen children discovered in “deplorable conditions” in a southern rural Ohio home has led to charges against four people, including the children’s mother and father.
Watch the latest press conference from officials in the video player above
The Ohio Bureau of Investigation and local sheriff’s department searched a home in the small village of Hamden as a culmination of another investigation that led to the discovery of the 16 children.
Hamden has a population of less than 1,000 people and is about 60 miles (97 kilometers) southeast of Columbus.
“Conditions you cannot even imagine people being in, let alone children being in,” Ohio Attorney General Andy Wilson said at a news conference.
Law enforcement arrested the children’s grandpa, grandma, father and mother: Gary Siders Jr., Gary Siders Sr., Christina Siders and Elizabeth Siders.
All suspects appeared via Zoom in court Wednesday where the judge set bonds for all at $300,000 cash surety. All entered pleas of not guilty.
Vinton County prosecuting attorney William Archer said they were being charged with 17 second-degree felony child endangering counts because it involves “serious physical harm.”
Each face a minimum of 2-8 years and a maximum of 12 years in prison on each charge if convicted.
Additional charges are expected to be brought by the Vinton County Prosecutor’s Office as more information is uncovered.
The children ranged from ages 1.5 to 18 and included both boys and girls, officials said. Several were in serious conditions when found, and two had to be flown to level one trauma centers because of their injuries.
Wilson said it was the worst scene he had ever encountered in his entire career, describing what he saw as “pure evil.”
Law enforcement were also executing a secondary search warrant at the home Tuesday, and the investigation is ongoing.
After observing more evidence, Wilson called what he saw as “third world” calling it “beyond comprehension.”
“If they had waited 24 hours, there is a very high probability that we’d be dealing with a death, or multiple deaths, of these children,” Wilson said.
“Most of the livestock was kept in better condition than the children,” Vinton County Sheriff Ryan Cain said, describing conditions with a high presence of bacterial, human feces.
Cain went on to describe the 16 children appeared to have been kept in a 12×12 area for “most of the last 4 years.”
Wilson said the children were “literally about to fall through the floor.”
The AG went on to say how some of the children were unable to even speak, saying the 18-year-old child was unable to spell her name.
Since the discovery, Wilson said the number one concern is the physical wellbeing of the children. All children were examined, 7 of them taken to Columbus Hospitals, two Care Flighted. One of the children was in the ICU and had to be intubated.
Officials say the children are safe and are now currently in a good situation and are being protected.
“This is an intra-family situation. This is not human trafficking. There is nothing to put our other children at risk,” William Archer, Vinton County Prosecutor said.
Archer says the state is asking for temporary custody of all the kids.
Wilson’s office has offered help “in any way we can” in the investigation, including prosecutors from special prosecutor’s division.
“Our role is one of support and leveraging our resources,” Wilson said.
The family has ties to multiple counties since 2008 including Gallia, Pike and Jackson counties, as well as to Wisconsin.
He says it appears they were in the Vinton County for four years. The property they were in was owned by a trust of a deceased woman.
Wilson says the family was hiding the children because “they knew these kids were neglected.”
Wilson says they are still at the very beginning of the investigation, making sure the children are OK.
Cain did not comment on if there was any sexual abuse, citing an ongoing investigation.
At this time, investigators have found no evidence of any threat to the public.
Anyone with information about the family, about the kids is encouraged to call Ohio Attorney General’s Office tip line at 855-BCI-OHIO.
WLWT’s investigative reporter Todd Dykes has been covering this story all day and will have more updates as they come in.
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